Bipolar Disorder - new to the group & recently diagnosed, what advice do you have with drug choice?

Was diagnosed with PTSD in 2007. I've been experiencing mood swings that are just exhausting. My doctor wants to start me on lithium and I'm just terrified of taking that drug because of all the potential side effects. I look at all mood stabilizers and they all seem to have some serious potential side effects. What advice do any of you have when it comes to making a choice of which drug to take?

Responses (7)

I, too, am bipolar type 2. I have taken lithium in the past and did not care for the side effects, but not everyone experiences them as I did. Finding the right med(s) is a trial and error sort of ordeal as what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. I would give it a good try of at least a month and see how you do. If lithium doesn't agree with you, there are numerous other meds to try. I take two antidepressants plus Abilify with excellent results, but again we are all different. I would trust the doctor's lead as he/she knows your symptoms best.

Hi. I have not been diagnosed with BP II, because I don't have the manic portion. I do have depression and mood swings that can change over the course of the day. I was placed on lithium but it was not really doing anything. I am currently taking topirmate ( Topamax) for my deliberating mood swings and the difference is remarkable. I have not noticed any side effects from taking the drug either.

This may be something to talk to your doctor about. It's made a huge difference in my life. Good luck on finding the right drug

Hi there,I take Lithium and love it, it changed my life. I had a major depression in 2007 and was hospitalized for 6 months until Lithium was found to work for me. I did however get hypothyroid from it and a little weight gain. But I feel that it is worth it because I am back with my husband and 2 kids and very happy.

Thank you all for your answers!! I truly appreciate it! The thing about lithium for me is that I have several medical conditions that would make weight gain catastrophic for me. I have mitral valve prolapse, metabolic syndrome and am in need of a knee replacement due to an injury back in 07. Weight gain for me could cause diabetes and place even more undue pressure on my knee. Also considering I already have palpitations caused by the prolapse, the risk of arrhythmia is higher for me with lithium. It looks like that's the case with just about every class 1 mood stabilizer. I will definitely speak with my doctor, but I wanted to see how common some of those side effects really are.

Having lived with Bipolar Disorder Type 1 for over 20 years, the most important thing regarding meds and treatment is this; do not see a general practice Dr. to be treated for Bipolar Disorder! You need treatment by hands on, honest to god psychiatrist who specializes in nothing but the treatment of mental disease and addiction. Only this type of physician knows what the most up to date medications and newest innovative treatments for mental disease are. In addition, as your Psychiatrist prescribes meds, keep a journal of how you feel, and include many details, like times between cycles, and are you more up or more down, do you stay on one end of the cycle longer than the other, etc. Also, try to note anything that you may think may have been a trigger for an episode or round of cycling. Always include any side effect you feel from the meds.

Take this journal with you to your Dr. Visits, and go through it with your Psychiatrist. This will help him help you get the right mix of meds and get it under control in a timely manner. Do not let the Dr. Fail to listen to you and just get you back out the door. Be assertive with the Dr. in your own treatment or you may not be listened to by your Dr. and that will get you poor help. I very much encourage you to take my advice, as someone who made the mistakes of seeing the wrong type of Drs and getting the wrong med's. I would always hate someone to endure what I did for the first 14 years post diagnosis with the disease Bipolar Disorder Type 1. Having not received the right meds and treatment ended up costing me big time. Here are some examples and a small snap shot of what poor or incorrect treatment did for me. I lost two marriages, quite a few friends and some family, a few $150k plus a year dream jobs, suffered through drug addiction, and I was homeless a time or two for a few months and lots and lots and lots of financial and legal trouble. It really sucks by the way to wake up one day and realize your bank account is empty and you have no recollection of where you have been or what you have been doing for the last month or so. SO PLEASE LISTEN TO MY ADVICE!MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL; DO NOT STOP TAKING YOUR MEDS EVER EVER EVER, AS YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT.

i too have ptsd, depression, anxiety and panic disorder, whats been working for me is prozac 40 mg, xanax .5 mg 3 times a day for anxiety and panic, and therapy, i also do alot of journaling and comming to this site and talking to me friends here. this is the best place to be and come in anytime of your need. yes please be sure to get the rite care, find a dr that is willing to help and listen to you. tell the dr all your symptoms and be completely honest so he/she knows how to treat you, hang in there

I'll say this about the Xanax. A narcotic is one of the worst things a doctor can give someone who suffers from long term anxiety. There are plenty of other non-narcotic drugs that are just as good or even better such as Buspar which has been on the market for nearly 40 years. When I started my journey, the psychiatrist I was seeing gave me Valium for the anxiety which I ended up becoming chemically dependent on. My pharmacist told me about it because she noticed changes in my motor functions. Thank God she did because that damn Valium almost killed me!! I wasn't abusing it, I was just taking it as prescribed but benzodiazepines (drug class its in) are one of the most dangerous classes of legal drugs there are. I ended up having to check myself into detox because the psychiatrist refused to admit he'd made a mistake by putting me on that drug. Upon my check in to the hospital, my blood pressure was 97/50. That was the reason why I was passing out. My blood pressure was too low and I was losing consciousness. It's difficult to advocate for yourself sometimes when you are a mental health patient because you're not always at your best. I just can't stress enough how a narcotic IS NOT the right choice for long term anxiety treatment. Google all you can and only use information from credible sources like Mayo Clinic, nimh.gov or WebMD... stuff like that. Get a second opinion if you have to but please do see what you can do about switching from Xanax to something else. Think about it this way, I know that everyone reacts to drugs differently... but there are no documented cases where people use narcotics long term without becoming addicted to them. This is the reason why street narcotics are illegal. The only difference between those drugs and the one you're taking is that there are some additional compounds in it and a doctor has given it to you. Be well my friend and best of luck to you!

Taldavis I wanna welcome you to the group I think the best thing you can do is try the phsychiatrist thinks and see how it effects you. Yhey have to list the side effects but most people dnt experience them if you do one of to things you can do weigh the pros and cons if it makes life better or not. Second the dr switches the med to one that does. Your life and happiness are important you need to sometimes trust the mental health professionals t know the best meds for you. If we all had a degree in everything well knw one wuld have a job. My 12year old was diagnosed bipolar 1 and given lamictal for it. I to was scared to give her it afraid of side effects and nt doing the right thing for her. But the depression was worse than taking the medication and trying to dig her out of a hole before she was buried alive. And her psychiatrist piicked the right med for her now she is doing what 12year old are suppose to do enjoy life.

Which is what you are suppose to do as well. So please give yourself that chance. Do make sure as other said that you have a phsychiatrist prescribe your meds that's their jobs and qualified more than your md. Best wishes

Yes, totally agreed and excellent commentary. Everyone's bipolar varies from person to person - some are type 1, some type 2; some people tend toward mania and agitation, and others are mostly in a depressive funk. It could be dangerous to insist upon a drug upon the recommendation of someone else, as the design of the drug may not be specific to the type of bipolar which affects you. What works for one might be abysmal for another, and it's not worth the risk. A psychiatrist doesn't just scribble drugs; he/she observes and makes professional diagnoses on the patient that they see in front of them. So totally, although a bit of discussion about the various drugs is never a bad thing, it is ultimately best to have a serious chat with the doctor, and find out why he recommends the drug(s) which you are on.

Thanks to you all! I did speak with my doctor and explained my concerns about the Lithium in regards to the potential affect it would have on my other health conditions so she gave me a choice of three (lithium, tegretol and lamictal). We weighed the pro's and con's of each one and decided that lamitcal (am taking the generic lamotrigene) would be best. She doesn't believe in doing trial and error with bipolar meds because she feels it could make the situation worse. I was glad that she spent a decent amount of time discussing this with me (about 3-4 hours). Lamictal was the best choice and she would switch me to something else if I developed the rash as a side effect which I have not so far. I am currently on a 50 mg dose of that, 5 mg of abilify which is only temporary until I get to 100 mg of the lamictal and can feel its full effect.

I've noticed some positive changes in my ability to concentrate, my mood is definitely more stable and I'm also at zero irritability or depression. I have also been keeping track of my moods on www.moodtracker.com. This has helped my therapist quite a bit and I'll print out a copy and take it with my to my doctor's office as Danforeman suggested. I'll see what the doctor thinks after looking at my mood chart. This discussion has been so very helpful to me... thank you all very, very much!

You are welcome Taidavis! I am really glad to see that you have a good relationship with your psychiatrist, as that is so important... and he/she sounds like a really GOOD one, given the amount of time he spent with you deciding upon the right drug best suited for you. My own therapist has a lot of good things to say about lamictal - apparently it is the drug with the fewest side effects as it pertains to bipolar drugs. Unfortunately my doctor didn't think that it was the drug for me, but I do hear that it's a drug which works well for those who take it. Feel better soon, and keep the good news coming!